Canadian Society of Cinematographers Magazine February 2019

CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS

$4 Februar y 2019 www.csc.ca

THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE with

DOUGLAS KOCH csc

Michael Jari Davidson: SuperGrid

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A publication of the Canadian Society of Cinematographers

FEATURES – VOLUME 10, NO. 9 FEBRUARY 2019 Fostering cinematography in Canada since 1957.

The Canadian Society of Cinematographers was founded by a group of Toronto, Montreal and Ottawa cameramen. Since then over 800 cinematographers and persons in associated occupations have joined the organization.

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CSC/IATSE Lighting Workshop

Credit: Sophie Giraud © SPF (TBS) Productions Inc

We facilitate the dissemination and exchange of technical information and endeavor to advance the knowledge and status of our members within the industry.

As an organization dedicated to furthering technical assistance, we maintain contact with non-partisan groups in our industry but have no political or union affiliation.

Credit: Michelle Yardley

The CSC provides tangible recognition of the common bonds that link film and digital professionals, from the aspiring student and camera assistant to the news veteran and senior director of photography.

The CSC is a not-for-profit organization run by volunteer board members of the society. Thank you to our sponsors for their continued support.

CORPORATE SPONSORS

South by North: Through Black Spruce with Douglas Koch csc

By Trevor Hogg, Special to Canadian Cinematographer

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Credit: Mike Zimmer

AC Lighting Inc. All Axis Remote Camera Systems Applied Electronics Limited Arri Canada Ltd. Canon Canada Inc. Codes Pro Media Cooke Optics Dazmo Camera Deluxe Toronto DMG Lumière FUJIFILM, North America Corporation FUJIFILM, Optical Devices Division Fusion Cine Henry’s Camera HD Source Inspired Image Picture Company Keslow Camera Kino Flo Lee Filters Mole-Richardson MOSS LED Inc. Nikon Canada Inc. PRG Panasonic Canada Panavision Canada REDLABdigital RED Red Square Motion Rosco Canada S1 Group Sigma SIM SIMMOD LENS Sony of Canada Ltd. Technically Yours Inc. Technicolor The Source Shop Urban Post Production Vistek Walter Klassen FX William F. White International Inc. Zeiss ZGC Inc. ZTV

Highway to Hell: Michael Jari Davidson on SuperGrid By Fanen Chiahemen

COLUMNS & DEPARTMENTS 2 4 6 10 12 34 36 Cover

From the Editor-In-Chief From the President In the News On Set CSC Member Spotlight – Marc Laliberté Else csc Tech Column Production Notes/Calendar Annie (played by Tanaya Beatty) in Through Black Spruce Credit: Sophie Giraud © SPF (TBS) Productions Inc

Canadian Cinematographer February 2019 Vol. 10, No. 9 EDITORIAL BOARD EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc EDITOR EMERITUS Donald Angus EXECUTIVE OFFICER Susan Saranchuk, susans@csc.ca EDITOR Fanen Chiahemen, editor@csc.ca COPY EDITOR Patty Guyader ART DIRECTION Berkeley Stat House WEBSITE www.csc.ca ADVERTISING SALES Guido Kondruss, gkondruss@rogers.com CSC BOARD OF DIRECTORS Serge Desrosiers csc Zoe Dirse csc Phil Earnshaw csc Carlos Esteves csc Joan Hutton csc Bruno Philip csc Joe Sunday PhD George Willis csc, sasc CSC EXECUTIVE PRESIDENT George Willis csc, sasc PAST PRESIDENT, ADVISOR Joan Hutton csc VICE PRESIDENTS Carlos Esteves csc, Toronto Bruno Philip csc, Montreal MEMBERSHIP CHAIRS Arthur Cooper csc Zoe Dirse csc EDUCATION CHAIRS Carlos Esteves csc George Willis csc, sasc AWARDS CHAIR Arthur Cooper csc DIGITAL PORTALS Carolyn Wong (Content Manager) RELATIONSHIPS Gaston Bernier OFFICE / MEMBERSHIP / SUBSCRIPTIONS 131–3085 Kingston Road Toronto, Canada M1M 1P1 Tel: 416-266-0591; Fax: 416-266-3996 Email: admin@csc.ca, subscription@csc.ca

Canadian Cinematographer makes every effort to ensure the accuracy of the information it publishes; however, it cannot be held responsible for any consequences arising from errors or omissions. The contents of this publication may not be reproduced in whole or in part without the express written consent of the publisher. The opinions expressed within the magazine are those of the authors and not necessarily of the publisher. Upon publication, Canadian Cinematographer acquires Canadian Serial Rights; copyright reverts to the writer after publication.Canadian Cinematographer is printed

by Winnipeg Sun Commercial Print and is published 10 times a year. One-year subscriptions are available in Canada for $40.00 for individuals and $80.00 for institutions, including HST. In U.S. rates are $45.00 and $90.00 for institutions in U.S. funds. International subscriptions are $50.00 for individuals and $100.00 for institutions. Subscribe online at www.csc.ca.

ISSN 1918-8781 Canadian Mail Product Sales Agreement No. 40013776 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses 131–3085 Kingston Road Toronto M1M 1P1 THE CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS IS A NON-PROFIT ORGANIZATION.

2 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

FROM THE EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Joan Hutton csc

T

his year’s annual CSC Awards are just around the corner. While the competitive awards are yet to be finalized, we do know who is to be honoured in the two specialty categories.

I’m very pleased to announce that Nicolas Bolduc csc is the recipient of this year’s Masters Award for his “outstanding contribution to the art of cinematography.” This is an extremely exclusive honour for directors of photography who are not only at the top of our profession but have also become leaders of our art form through their masterful skills and ingenuity. Nicolas embodies these ideals by striving to always be different, stepping out of his comfort zone to reinvent his cinematography with each new project he undertakes. He’s worked with the who’s who of Quebec’s directorial talent such as Denis Villeneuve (Enemy), François Girard (Hochelaga, Terre des Âmes), Philippe Falardeau (Chuck) and Kim Nguyen (The Hummingbird Project).

Nicolas’ cinematography throughout his career has always stirred much attention here at home and internationally. However, for me his impeccable visual sense was never more evident than his haunting images in the movie War Witch about child soldiers. The film itself garnered an Academy Award nomination while Nicolas picked up a prestigious Golden Frog award from the Camerimage Film Festival.

He has also won five CSC awards and three Canadian Screen Awards for cinematography achievements. Congratulations to Nicolas on being invited into the elite ranks of the CSC Masters.

Also picking up an award is Ernie Kestler, who is this year’s recipient of the President’s Award “for extraordinary service to the Canadian Society of Cinematographers.” Ernie has been a CSC member for a remarkable 43 years, first as a camera assistant and then as a cinematographer. Always generous with his time, Ernie’s main efforts with the CSC have focused on education where his skills and knowledge have had a significant impact, organizing the Society’s workshops where he is also an instructor. Ernie served diligently as the CSC Education Chair and Co-chair for 10 years from 2004 to 2014, a record for that post, hallmarking Ernie’s passion for education and the CSC. Today Ernie continues to coordinate workshops and is a member of the Education, President's and Heritage committees.

Congratulations, Ernie, on an honour well deserved.

*Correction to January 2019 column: In last month’s Editor-in-Chief column, our spell-checker inadvertently caused the expression “Me Too” to be incorrectly transcribed as “Met Too”. We apologize for any confusion.

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FROM THE PRESIDENT George A. Willis csc, sasc

O

ver the last little while, I have received several requests to volunteer for a number of causes, and around the same time, I’ve received a few invitations for some specific events.

As I thought about this, I began to analyze the difference between the two approaches – volunteering versus an invitation – and I was surprised where it led me regarding the CSC. Being a not-for-profit society, the idea is to always ask for volunteers for whatever event or initiative that might require people to come forward and offer their time or expertise. As I thought more about this, I came to a conclusion regarding the approach that one might have as it relates to the idea of volunteering one’s time. And I decided to play devil’s advocate for the purpose of discussion.

If I were approached to volunteer for something, say judging awards or the membership committee, a situation could arise where because of my workload I might decide that there are others who could offer their assistance or input, and consequently ignore the request believing this to be a valid observation.

Now, this could prove to be a successful outcome regarding a request for volunteers. On the other hand, exactly the opposite could be the outcome, as so often happens. The net result, though, is that there are either very few volunteers, or none, and quite possibly for the same reason that I have put forward – someone else might be available.

In fact, can one assume that a volunteer sees himself/herself only in the manner of self-evaluation and therefore the decision is based on subjective thinking? Consequently, there might not be much importance attached to the fact that there is a request to volunteer.

Conversely, and I speak from first-hand experience, whenever I have received a personal invitation to participate in an event, I consider that approach in a very different light and from a completely different perspective than being asked to volunteer. I feel that there is an obligation on my part to respond to the invitation, and this leads to further consideration regarding the request.

In short, because I am being specifically asked to do something, I feel valued for whatever it is that might be requested of me. However, I do not for a moment view that in any egotistical manner at all. In fact, I feel honoured. The result of this kind of thinking is that I will definitely make a concerted effort to make myself available.

So, is there really a difference in the approach? I personally think that there is, and without a doubt I would go so far as to say that this is worthy of further consideration and indeed followthrough in the Society. From now on, the Society will consider reviewing their approach when it comes to looking for volunteers for the many events and initiatives planned for the year.

Without question, the CSC values every one of its members and appreciates any and all assistance offered whenever requested.

We believe that there is more than a subtle difference in comparing the approach to asking for volunteers versus sending an invitation. Just like a wedding invitation, for example, there is the expectation of the courtesy of a reply, and that in itself might be the one component that will result in a more favourable outcome regarding a request from the membership because it is far more personal in nature.

4 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

In The News

Brendan Steacy c s c among ASC Award Nominees

Credit: Jan Thijs

The CSC congratulates Brendan Steacy csc who is among the nominees for the 33rd Annual American Society of Cinematographers Awards for Outstanding Achievement.

Steacy is nominated in the Motion Picture, Miniseries, or Pilot Made for Television category for Alias Grace, “Part 1.” Winners will be revealed at the ASC’s February 9 ceremony in Los Angeles.

Alias Grace Director Mary Harron and DP Brendan Steacy csc discuss a shot.

CSC Member Projects Nominated for Critics’ Choice Awards

Credit: David Lee / Focus Features

Canadian series has been nominated in the category, according to media reports. Also nominated is director Spike Lee’s feature film BlacKkKlansman (shot by Chayse Irvin csc) in the Best Picture category. The Awards ceremony was broadcast live on January 13.

Credit: Stephen Scott

The CBC series Schitt’s Creek, shot by Gerald Packer csc, was nominated for a U.S. Critics’ Choice Awards in the Best Comedy Series category. The series, which airs in the U.S. on Pop, is the only Canadian show in the category, and this marks the first time a

From Schitt’s Creek The Rose family – Alexis (Annie Murphy), Moira (Catherine O’Hara), Johnny (Eugene Levy), and David (Dan Levy).

6 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

John David Washington stars as Ron Stallworth and Laura Harrier as Patrice in Spike Lee’s BlacKkKlansman.

The documentary Anthropocene: The Human Epoch, shot by Nicholas de Pencier csc, in January won the Toronto Film Critics Association’s Rogers Best Canadian Film Award at the 22nd TFCA Awards Gala in Toronto. The honour carries a $100,000 cash prize, the richest film award in the country. De Pencier and co-directors Jennifer Baichwal and Edward Burtynsky declined the cash prize, opting instead to split the money between the two other nominees – Sadaf Foroughi (Ava) and Sofia Bohdanowicz (Maison du bonheur) – and the Toronto International Film Festival’s Share Her Journey campaign. The runners-up each received $5,000. Anthropocene was also a runner-up for the TFCA’s RBC Allan King Documentary Award.

Credit: Courtesy of Anthropocene Films Inc. © 2018

Anthropocene Wins TFCA’s Best Canadian Film Award

Nicholas de Pencier csc filming Carrara marble sculptures in Italy for Anthropocene.

ARRI Announces New North American Leadership, Cinema Lens Specialist gies. Crithary will be responsible for overseeing camera rental operations in North America, as well as promoting ARRI Rental’s proprietory technologies.

Barber and Pentek are lighting industry veterans with more than 30 years of experience. ARRI Inc. also announced Art Adams has joined as Cinema Lens Specialist, a newly created position that aims to further develop and support sales of ARRI lenses for North America, while

collecting user feedback from imagemakers. Adams has worked as a director of photography for more than two decades, focusing on commercials, branded content, visual effects and much more. He also served as a technology consultant for companies including Sony, Canon, Element Labs, Sound Devices and more.

As a trainer for the ARRI Academy, he instructed classes on ARRI camera systems including the ALEXA LF.

Carly Barber

Peter Crithary

Art Adams

Photos: Courtesy of ARRI

ARRI Rental in December announced new top management for North America: Peter Crithary has been appointed president of ARRI Rental US Camera; Carly Barber will be taking on the role of president of ARRI Rental US Lighting, with Jeff Pentek joining as vice president.

Over the past 13 years, Crithary has had a number of roles at Sony Electronics, including market development and customer outreach for cinema technolo-

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019 •

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In The News

IATSE 667 Mourns John Board International Cinematographers Guild Local 667 announced the passing of long-time DGC Ontario member and retired AD John Board on December 2. Born on October 22, 1934, John Anthony Board worked as an assistant director, producer and mentor, and collaborated with some of Canada’s top filmmakers. Board joined the Directors Guild of Canada in 1966, one of the first assistant directors to come into the then fledgling organization. He subsequently served as chair of the DGC in Ontario from 1987 to 1988, and as the Assistant Director Caucus Rep on the Executive Board from 1995 to 1997. He is survived by his brothers Stefan and Henry, his sons Jason and Simon, and his grandchildren Rachel, Joanna, Alex, Sebastian and Sascha.

Netflix, Quebec Cinema Announce Mentorship Lab In December, Netflix announced a partnership with Montreal’s Quebec Cinema to create a three-year talent lab to mentor emerging Quebec filmmakers. Beginning in February 2020, the Talent Lab will be held

26 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

during Quebec Cinema’s annual Les Rendez-vous Québec Cinéma festival and will include conferences, mentorship opportunities and masterclasses from international and Quebec-based film professionals. The program is also open to women, Indigenous people and francophone communities from all provinces.

Tracey Jennings, Rachel Margolis Join Comweb/Whites Board of Advisors William F. White in December announced the additions of Tracey Jennings and Rachel Margolis to the Comweb/ Whites Board of Advisors. Jennings brings more than 30 years of experience working with PwC Canada in the technology, media and communications industry.

She serves on the Board of Save the Children Canada, acts as chair of the Audit Committee and is a member of the Advisory Council of the Stratford Campus of the University of Waterloo. Margolis boasts more than 19 years of experience working in the legal field and has been practicing law as a partner for MLT Aikins LLP in Winnipeg since 2013. She acts as director and vice-chair on the Governance and Nominations Committee for On Screen Manitoba and serves on the Manitoba Film and Music Food Banks Canada Board of Directors.

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Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019 •

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Credit: Karen Longland

Credit: Jeff Maloney

On Set

DP/operator Christopher Ball csc doing helicopter shooting for Aquaman second unit, just outside Petty Harbour, Newfoundland.

Credit: Seb Rist

DP Adam Marsden csc on a commercial shoot for Canadian Tire in December 2018.

DP and Associate member Christina Ienna on location in Lunenburg, Nova Scotia for Tourism Canada series.

Paul Sarossy csc, asc, bsc with Mark Baluk (2nd Assistant), Jasper Vrakking (DIT), Ciaran Copelin (1st Assistant) and Madison Hayes (utility) on the set of Guest of Honour.

Credit: Max Retik

Credit: Dan Murphy

Peter Warren csc shoots on the Rideau Canal for an unnamed TV pilot.

Morgana McKenzie shooting the feature documentary Black River on location in Neon, Kentucky.

ACCEPTANCES / AWARDS / NOMINATIONS / Ian Kerr csc (director/ DP) Churchill (short film), won: Panasonic Best Cinematography Award, Wildscreen Festival, Bristol, UK, October 19, 2018

10 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

Michael Jari Davidson, associate member (director of photography) SuperGrid (feature), won: Best Cinematography, The Blood in the Snow Canadian Film Festival, Toronto, November 27, 2018; nominated: Best Technical Achievement (Cinematography), Saskatchewan Independent Film Awards, Regina, November 23, 2018

Canadian Cinematographer - January 2019 •

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CSC Member Spotlight

Wexler asc, Conrad Hall asc. Middle school: Roger Deakins asc, bsc (personal favourite), Janusz Kaminski asc. New school: Greig Fraser asc, acs, Hoyte van Hoytema asc, fsf, nsc, Ellen Kuras asc, Dana Gonzales asc.

Name some of your professional highlights.

Oddly, being denied a work permit from Local 600 in Los Angeles in the early 2000s because I had started working there too frequently. My subsequent classification as a “must join” felt like an acceptance of sorts and that I deserved to be there with all the other working cinematographers. Recently, my work on the TV show American Gods, starting with second unit and moving to main unit, has been a really great experience, but truthfully, I believe the best is yet to come.

What is one of your most memorable moments on set?

Marc Laliberté Else csc What films or other works of art have made the biggest impression on you?

I found my interest in photography through following the works of Diane Arbus, Robert Frank and Sebastião Salgado. I have always had a great admiration for the sensibilities of the architect Tadao Ando and a keen interest in Frank Lloyd Wright. Films like Star Wars and Indiana Jones were a really big part of my childhood. Once I became interested in cinema, I leant toward the works of Godard and Truffaut, Coppola and Scorsese.

Secretly I have a soft spot for the old epics like Casablanca and Lawrence of Arabia.

How did you get started in the business?

I got a summer job as an office PA on the TV show Katts and Dog as a way to

12 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

help pay for university. I had no idea this world of filmmaking existed before this, and I immediately fell in love with the camaraderie and creativity of set life. I knew right away that this was what I wanted to pursue as a career.

Who have been your mentors or teachers?

I learned a lot about hard work and discipline from my father, and that has stayed with me from the start. The first person who taught me under the trainee program was Mark Cyre, and he was a big influence. He was tough but fair. He taught me to respect the process and the craft of cinematography and to appreciate all the work that goes on behind the scenes.

What cinematographers inspire you?

Old school: Gordon Willis asc, Haskell

Watching Céline Dion move sand bags for us when we had a small crew whilst shooting a promo for her children’s charity is high on the list…

What do you like best about what you do?

The exchange of ideas and collaboration with creative, talented and driven people, coupled with the variety of situations this job throws at me keeps it from ever getting old.

What do you like least about what you do?

I guess at a push it would be the long hours, which can sometimes leave the crew feeling jaded (understandably).

What do you think has been the greatest invention (related to your craft)?

Tough one, there are so many, but I’ll go with wireless technology giving the camera so much freedom.

How can others follow your work?

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South by North

THROUGH BLACK SPRUCE

16 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

By Trevor Hogg, Special to Canadian Cinematographer Photos: Sophie Giraud © SPF (TBS) Productions Inc

with

DOUGLAS KOCH csc

A

n elective English course on film and literature caused a Vancouver high school student to discover his love for making Super 8 movies and resulted in him attending film school at Ryerson Polytechnic Institute in Toronto.

Decades later, the subject matter still remains pertinent to Douglas Koch csc who reunites with frequent collaborator, filmmaker Don McKellar (The Grand Seduction) to bring the 2008 Scotiabank Giller Prize-winner Through Black Spruce

by Joseph Boyden to the big screen, with the world premiere taking place at the 43rd Toronto International Film Festival in September 2018. Seated at the hospital bedside of her comatose uncle, Will Bird (Brandon Oakes), Annie Bird (Tanaya Beatty) tells him about leaving Moosonee, Ontario, to search for her missing sister, who works as a model in Toronto.

“I didn’t read the book until after we had made the film,” Koch reveals. “What was neat and unusual is that it has two narrators. Sometimes when a chapter starts, you are not sure if you’re following Annie or Will. In the film, you’re seeing each of their stories.” The Canadian Screen Awardwinning cinematographer first worked with McKellar when the director was cast in the 1995 Patricia Rozema film When Night is Falling, and they got together again when the thespian made his feature directorial debut Last Night. “What has been always super handy is Don also being a writer and actor. We might have something planned and he would Above: DP Douglas Koch csc Left: Tantoo Cardinal in a still from Through Black Spruce.

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019 •

17

‘‘

Don is a good visual director. He’s always aware of what we’ve just come from and what it’s going into.”

Douglas Koch csc on the set of Through Black Spruce.

say, ‘There’s no way that these guys are going to want to sit down and do this. They’ll jump up and move around.’ We would go through this exercise of videotaping stuff and trying different things. It’s so great to do that without the pressure of having a crew standing around,” Koch says.

Principal photography on Through Black Spruce lasted up to 24 days between August and September of 2017, with the

three main settings in the story being Moosonee, James Bay and Toronto. “What is funny is that we were not shooting in any of the places we’re supposed to mainly because of the Northern tax credit that was involved in the making of the film,” Koch says. “We filmed mainly in Sudbury and the environments around there. We were only allowed to shoot in Toronto for three days, even though 40 per cent of the movie takes place there. Those three days were packed full of stuff with the CN Tower and Gardiner Expressway being in every shot. All of the interiors of the apartments, loft spaces and nightclub had to be found and/or converted in Sudbury.

“There’s a scene where Annie has been taken out by a new friend and a bunch of her gang to this crazy nightclub that is frequented by models and beautiful people,” he recalls. “We found this club. You could see that the bones were in there somewhere, but it was going to be a lot of work. It was an enormous pressure on [production designer] Ian Hall, who had a huge worry of turning this place into something that looked cool. I was worried about it and so were my gaffer Fast Eddy Mikolic and key grip Jason Lenoury, as they had a thousand little things to do in this place. LED strip lighting needed to be hidden, and intelligent strobe lighting needed to be produced on the dancefloor. Ian put up these interesting globular chandeliers. We had to shoot there at night, and there were all sorts of windows in the place. It had everything

Dream Role

By Trevor Hogg

A Tanaya Beatty in a still from Through Black Spruce.

18 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

fter graduating from the Vancouver Film School in 2010, actress Tanaya Beatty was cast in the Hollywood blockbuster The Twilight Saga: Breaking Dawn – Part 1 (2011) and ever since has been steadily working in television and film.

“Breaking Dawn feels like decades ago,” Beatty says over the phone while taking a break from shooting the TV series Yellowstone for the Paramount Network. “Through Black Spruce was the

going against it. Even Don was Above: Annie joins Leo (Graham concerned about filling this Greene) and his friends under with all of these people who the Gardiner Expressway. look like big city glitterati.

Right: Jesse (played by Kiowa The more everyone worries Gordon) and Annie (played by the better it goes because Tanaya Beatty) they bring their A game.”

When shooting in Moosonee, Koch says, the crew attempted to control the fairly modest main street with a 1st AD and some PAs. “You could fit all of us in a van and it seemed like the crew,” the DP recalls. “But we managed to get a lot of stuff done in one day and then did some drone shooting. In the mornings, I would go by myself and walk around and see if I could get any additional second

first project where I was getting to be the lead character, and she has so much depth and interesting things to explore. Being an Indigenous woman, and given my family history, it felt like I had a lot of personal experiences that I could use to portray Annie Bird.” The strong connection with her cinematic persona was not easy to leave behind for the actress.

“It was a little surprising. I thought I had fig-

ured out how you get rid of these roles when you go home,” she says.

Controversy erupted when producer Tina Keeper (Falls Around Her), who also stars as Lisette Bird, chose Don McKellar (The Grand Seduction) to direct the adaptation. “I have two lenses to see that view from,” Beatty notes. “On one hand, I’ve been dreaming about Indigenous people being involved with

all parts of filmmaking; that’s what I hope for.

But I also recognize that it’s a process and is something that we’re working towards. When Tina made the decision to bring Don on this project, she did that thinking this is the best director who is going to lead the team through this. I don’t doubt her decision-making. I also witnessed firsthand how Don was using his talent and privilege to try to get a story like Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019 •

19

Tina Keeper and Brandon Oakes in a still from Through Black Spruce.

unit shots that we might use with my Sony a7S II. We had a ton of stuff to work with, so they just used a couple of shots, but I enjoyed the process and meeting hilarious local people.”

A tricky location to find was the remote island in James Bay that Will uses as his hideaway. “In the book and script, the cabin was located on Akimiski Island, which is gigantic and extremely flat,” Koch says. “On our budget, we had to go all in or nothing. At some point, the idea of Killarney Provincial Park came up. There are these amazing almostpink rocks by the shore, and it sits on the north shore of Georgian Bay so you can’t see the other side. We wanted to make it feel like Will is off in the middle of nowhere.”

Video clips shot in actual locations were placed in a Dropbox folder so the cast and crew could see what the production was doing the following week. “Don is a good visual director,” Koch notes. “He’s always aware of

this told. I have only gratitude and respect for somebody who is doing that.”

Beatty originally read the novel almost a decade ago. “I had read Through Black Spruce several times from when I was 18. I read it in a different way when I knew I was going to be playing Annie,” she says. “It was awesome seeing a lot of other Indigenous actors in the room, people I have known and come

20 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

what we’ve just come from and what it’s going into.”

The cinematographer favoured a classical shooting style for Through Black Spruce, and the opening and closing of the film feature dream-like flashbacks. “We wanted to be more observational than right there with the characters,” he says. “I had my trusted Sony a7S II with me and a defunct Canon L series 50 mm f1.0 lens. It’s a soft, weird and shallow focus. Andreas Evdemon was on the main camera with a Steadicam getting a lot of great stuff, but every once in a while I captured a cool little moment.”

The aspect ratio chosen on the film was 1.85:1, and footage was primarily captured with a single ARRI ALEXA Mini, with an extra camera body available to be used if needed. The lenses ranged from 18 mm to 135 mm. “It was all shot with the Zeiss Master Primes,” Koch states. “They’re super reliable. I know if I have to shoot wide open or shoot T16, these

up with in this industry. It was normal in a lot of ways, which speaks to the fact that Indigenous voices are being heard and their stories are being told. When I got the audition, I didn’t even think it was real at first because I had dreamt of being able to play Annie.” A key big screen relationship is between Annie and her Uncle Will Bird, portrayed by Brandon Oakes.

“We clicked instantly. Brandon is somebody

whom I admire and look up to in this industry,” Beatty says.

A memorable nighttime scene has the actress performing alongside Graham Greene under the Gardiner Expressway cooking a goose. “It was really cool! I have dreamt of working with somebody like Graham Greene and Tantoo Cardinal. They have been sharing their voices and paving the way for so

‘‘

I don’t think there’s a movie made now that doesn’t utilize visual effects in some way. It can be as simple as getting rid of things in the frame that we don’t like, such as hydro poles. In our case, we did a poor man’s process for a float plane from the 1940s in which Will flies. We had to do bluescreen for that scene and shot plates with a drone up in Moosonee.”

The flashbacks have a surreal quality compared to the rest of the movie.

things are going to work. This is a harsh story. There were a couple of scenes that were going to be incorporated in low light levels. There were other times when we needed a longer lens and I would bring an Angenieux Optimo 24 mm to 290 mm zoom if we needed to do shots of the float airplane.

Then there were a couple of times we deliberately wanted a wider lens, so we might bring in a 16 mm Master Prime.”

Camera, lighting and grip gear came from William F. White, with gels being provided by Rosco Canada. “I like to use Fresnels when creating sunlight effects. We had a 6K and 4K Fresnel, as well as a mix of HMIs and tungsten. I can think of all sorts of neat things to do with LEDs, but I’m careful with them,” Koch says.

A customized colour correction method was developed by the cinematographer in Photoshop. “When Don and I were initially talking about this project, I realized that it was going

many Indigenous artists, so I was honoured to be able to work with them,” Beatty says.

Since Annie and Suzanne are twins, the actress plays both roles. “It felt strange to think of two people. Suzanne is missing, and Annie is trying to find her. Annie is from the bush, entrenched in traditions, and has never experienced life in a city. Whereas Suzanne has always been interested in that outside world

22 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

to be a largely Indigenous cast. I thought back to Edward Curtis, who took portraits of Indigenous people in the late 19th century, and there’s a cool sculptural quality to the skin tone.

I felt this was something I could accomplish with my crazy Photoshop process and got excited when I found out that Bill Ferwerda at Deluxe Toronto was going to be our colourist. To my total glee, Bill was able to do the effect in DaVinci Resolve.

My DIT Rany Ly and I set the look in advance. We made a few different LUTs and ended up coming back to one that became like our filmstock. Highly saturated colours like reds were affected the most. The black hair of our actors would sometimes get this amazing blue sheen and our process would exaggerate it, so you had to be careful that it didn’t get removed.

“I don’t think there’s a movie made now that doesn’t utilize visual effects in some way,” Koch observes. “It can be as simple as getting rid of things in the frame that we don’t like, such as hydro poles. In our case, we did a poor man’s process for a float plane from the 1940s in which Will flies. We had to do bluescreen for that scene and shot plates with a drone up in Moosonee. Another one that I’ve seen come up lately is blood splatter. There is one scene that had a neat touch that we hadn’t even thought of when we were doing it. You get how hard Will was hit in the head with a golf club. To have coordinated that in camera would have been a super pain in the ass. But it

and even the way she moves is different. It’s like having to portray somebody who might move like a model versus somebody who is about to shoot a gun and kill a moose,” she says.

The nightclub sequence where Sudbury doubles for Toronto has a surreal quality. “It’s sort of like Alice goes down the rabbit hole and finds herself in a landscape that is dif-

ferent from anything she has experienced,” Beatty notes. “They pulled it off in terms of it seeming like a nightclub in Toronto. For me, as an actress, it was such a fun scene to play.

You sometimes don’t get a lot of leeway as an Indigenous actor. Either you’re meant to be represented in a specific way or the character is back in the 1800s.” The red sequin dress she wore in the scene was created by

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CANADIAN SOCIETY OF CINEMATOGRAPHERS PRESENTS

THE 62 CSC AWARDS GALA nd

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‘‘

What has been always super handy is Don also being a writer and actor. We might have something planned and he would say, ‘There’s no way that these guys are going to want to sit down and do this.

They’ll jump up and move around.’ We would go through this exercise of videotaping stuff and trying different things. It’s so great to do that without the pressure of having a crew standing around.”

was done in the visual effects and you don’t even question it. We had a great visual effects supervisor named Geoff Scott.”

The cast features Tanaya Beatty, Brandon Oakes, Kiowa Gordon, Graham Greene, Tantoo Cardinal and Tina Keeper. “All of our main actors were great,” Koch says.

“Tanaya Beatty is an experienced and lovely actress; she was extremely fun to light.” Other key crew members were 1st AC Paul Steves, 2nd AD John Baxter, best boy electric Jason Poole, rigging gaffer John “Chops” Hall, key grip Jason Lenoury and dolly grip Richard Leko.

Annie Bird (played by Tanaya Beatty). Annie watches over her comatose uncle, Will Bird (Brandon “There are a lot of moments in the film that Oakes). A still from Through Black Spruce, featuring Brandon Oakes and Tantoo Cardinal.

I was pleased with how they turned out in the Gardiner. What follows afterwards when she leaves is the end,” Koch muses. “In one scene, Annie is with Graham creepy. Then there’s the amazing beauty of the island that Greene and his gang of merry pranksters, and they’re cookWill runs off to with these amazing rocks at Killarney.” ing this goose at the bottom of the Don Roadway under

an Indigenous fashion designer. “That was made by Lesley Hampton and was special to be able to wear, especially given the social movement where red represents missing Indigenous women. It was a serendipitous thing,” she says.

Collaborating with crew members such as veteran cinematographer Douglas Koch csc left a lasting impression on the Vancouver

resident who hails from the remote mountain village of Midway, B.C. “Anytime you get to work with somebody at that level of talent it changes you as an artist. I grow and learn in different ways,” Beatty says. “I was a big fan of his work on Sensitive Skin. Don has worked with Douglas before so that was also really helpful. The director and cinematographer have much more of a direct relationship

and communication on set than an actor and cinematographer, so knowing that the two of them were on the same page was great. The look and feel of a movie is so contingent on the cinematography, so to feel like you are in really good hands is very freeing as an actor.

The way Douglas set the tone with the whole camera crew was very clear and masterful every step of the way. • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019 •

25

26 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

low-pass filter). “It’s just nice and sharp,” he observes.

“I was particularly influenced by Sergio Leone, and he was all about sharpness and deep focus. I wanted the sensor to catch everything and things to feel authentic, so I shot the film between T4 and 5.6, and the Standard is really nice on skin tones; it makes them feel alive.”

The Kowa Cine Prominar lenses, vintage Japanese anamorphics from the 1970s, were also an asset on a handheld film because of their small size. “Anything that can help me operating with the camera on my shoulder all day long really helps,” Davidson says.

Counterintuitively, he shot most day exteriors in midday sun, sometimes with front light, and with no overhead diffusion. “I really felt it was important to have the audience feel the heat out on the Grid. They’re dirty and

Credit: Allan Feildel

he action/adventure feature film SuperGrid, directed by Lowell Dean (WolfCop), takes place in the apocalyptic near-future, where mining conglomerates have turned Canada into a wasteland and a plague has infected much of the population. Two brothers working as smugglers are tasked with getting on the “Grid” – a highway running through central Canada from the US border to the Northwest Territories – to retrieve a mysterious package, facing road pirates and rebel gangs along the way.

Leo Fafard, Natalie Krill and Marshall Williams lead the cast.

The film was shot over just 17 days in Saskatchewan around Regina, the Qu’Appelle Valley and in the Badlands by the Montana-North Dakota border, primarily in practical locations such as abandoned warehouses, gas stations and scrapyards, with associate member Michael Jari Davidson in charge of the photography. Extra days shooting at the Canada Saskatchewan Production Studios soundstage rounded out principal photography.

“When I first spoke to Lowell, he mentioned that he wanted it to feel almost like a documentary mixed with an art house film,” Davidson recalls. “It wasn’t to be glossy or polished.

He wanted to get the feeling like we were actually in this environment with these characters. And the other thing he stressed was wanting the whole film to be handheld.”

With Mad Max (1979), Escape from New York, Blade Runner (1982) and Children of Men serving as his visual touchstones, Davidson decided to shoot the film in the anamorphic format using Kowa Cine Prominar lenses, which Montreal’s Cineground supplied. “Anamorphic lenses don’t show the world as it is, but distorted. This heightened reality helps make the film an emotional experience,” he observes. “Based on our film references, anamorphic was a specific choice to put us into the same universe and field of view, and I like the bold character of the Kowas.”

During the four weeks of preproduction, Davidson did extensive testing. “The Kowas are quite expressive, and I knew there would be visual effects in the film, so I began by shooting lens distortion charts. And then because of all the practical gunfire in the film and the different types of vintage and modern weapons that were used, I wanted to make sure that the actual muzzle flashes were captured while we were shooting and weren’t done in post, so we did a lot of tests,” he says. “Newer-style assault weapons are actually manufactured to minimize muzzle flash, so I found that I had to have different combinations of shutter angles to capture the muzzle flashes properly.” He also shot tests for special effects make-up, diopter resolution and practical road flares.

Davidson opted to shoot on the RED Digital Cinema DRAGON sensor (provided by Downsteam Pictures in Saskatoon), installed with the Standard OLPF (optical

n

Michael Jari Davidson on the set of SuperGrid.

Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019 •

27

Credit: Mike Zimmer

u

n Credit: Allan Feildel

Above: Practical lights, hi sodium and atmos silhouette Spanner (Amy Matysio) as she sends off the Campbell Brothers on one last Grid run.

Right: Jonathan Cherry as Consortium villain Lazlo means business on SuperGrid.

they’re sweaty; I wanted people to really feel this heat and oppressive sunlight that was burning down on them all the time,” he explains. “Depending on the shot, I would have my key grip Chad Biesenthal play an 8x8 Ultrabounce or a face-saver just to see eyes and under hats.”

Davidson created moonlight with bounce and direct HMI sources with ½ CTO and Lee 213 White Flame Green, desaturated in the grade. For night interiors, he relied on practical motivated sources like bare bulbs. “I wasn’t trying to hide ugly green fluorescents or anything,” he stresses. “In fact, on some of the [Kino Flo] Celebs I actually put on more Plus Green to match the overhead fluorescents. So it’s not a ‘pretty’ film; it’s practical light sources augmented with more ugliness on top of it.”

28 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

Photos this page: Mike Zimmer

u

w

Above: Daniel Maslany as Owl in the southern Saskatchewan sunset. Middle: From L to R Leo Fafard (Jesse), Marshall Williams (Deke) and director Lowell Dean discuss the action. Bottom: Former WWE star Jay “Christian” Reso stands guard at the Border wall checkpoint as the Jackal’s leader “King Curtis.

u

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Davidson says the film’s opening shot was the most challenging and the biggest lighting setup. It features a long tracking shot at a scrapyard where people gather at night, introducing the main character, Deke Campbell, as he walks into a bar, and establishing the current hopeless state of affairs on the Grid.

“There was a 10K tungsten playing Lee 651 at one end of the block by the bar and a 6K HMI up on a lift backlighting all of that scrap behind the characters, and a Mole Nine Light was bounced down at the other end of the street. Then the scene was peppered with smaller lighting units, 1Ks, 2Ks, some burn barrels and some other interesting stuff,” Davidson recalls, adding that La Rocque Systems Inc. supplied their package truck.

“I operated the Ronin, and it’s actually a stepoff shot, so I’m coming down off a lift and then walking that entire scene. It was the biggest, most challenging shot of the film just because there were so many elements in it, timing with the actor, motorcycles, extras and action cues,” he says.

A suitable colour palette for the film was created in

30 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

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Credit: Mike Zimmer Credit: Allan Feildel

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Credit: Allan Feildel

post, Davidson reveals. “From what I gather, the short grass prairie in southern Saskatchewan is normally more browns and greys, but they had so much rain in the summer before we went to shoot that everything was emerald green. So it was kind of counterproductive to our post-apocalyptic wasteland when everything in the frame was this vivid emerald green,” he explains. “While we were shooting, we knew we’d have to deal with that in the grade. We coloured the film at Java Post Production in Regina, and our colourist Jack Tunnicliffe painstakingly went through the film, and in every shot that had this emerald green foliage in the background Jack knocked the green back. It was quite the process just to get it to where we could actually start grading the film, but he did a fantastic job. I’m really happy with the results.”

Other key crew members on the $1.2 million film – which premiered at the 2018 Calgary International Film Festival – included gaffer Peter La Rocque, production designer Emersen Ziffle and costume designer Brenda Shenher. “The crew that I had was amazing,” Davidson says. “I had already worked with all of these people a year or two prior, so it was a tight-knit crew that worked very hard to accomplish what needed to be done in 17 days. We had to have a welloiled machine, or we wouldn’t have been able to pull off the ‘suicide mission,’ as Lowell affectionately called it.”

From top: Consortium soldiers stand in urban light on a practical location in SuperGrid. Jonathan Cherry has Consortium villain Lazlo flanked by assassin Guan Yin, talks to the Campbell Brothers via walkie. Fei Ren plays deadly assassin Guan Yin in SuperGrid.

32 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

Tech Column

Panavision DXL2 Gets a Canadian Debut

F

or those who didn’t get to play with the Panavision DXL when it debuted a couple of years ago, there’s now a new version, the DXL2.

The original DXL was the offspring of a collaboration between RED, Panavision and Light Iron, an 8K camera based on RED’s WEAPON S35 Helium sensor.

The DXL2 is pretty much more of the same, but with RED’s MONSTRO sensor offering 35.4 megapixels, 60 fps at 8K Full Format (8192 × 4320), 75 fps at 8K 2.4:1 (8192 × 3456). How good is it on the job? For that we turned to Luc Montpellier csc, who took the DXL2 for a run as DP on a feature, Percy, shot in Winnipeg, last summer and was heading for Mumbai for additional scenes.

Produced by Scythia Films from a screenplay by Hilary Pryor and Garfield L. Miller, Percy is the story of Saskatchewan canola farmer Percy Schmeiser (Christopher Walken), who was sued

by American biotech giant Monsanto when some patented GMO plants were found growing on his property.

Ontario College of Art alumni and TV veteran Clark Johnson directs.

With that big sky vista of Stonewall, just outside Winnipeg, Montpellier says there was ample opportunity to put the DXL2’s super sensor to work. “I wasn’t a big fan of digital for a long time. Like when Panavision’s Genesis came out, I refused to shoot with them,” the DP says. “Then the Arriflex came out with a cinema style camera, and I was posting on Panavision’s social media asking them when were they going to do something? Those of us who waited have been rewarded. This really

34 • Canadian Cinematographer - February 2019

Credit: Courtesy of Panavision

is the best camera out there right now.”

Percy was shot in full 8K, he says, to take full advantage of the sensor with Panavision Primo 70 lenses.

“It is extremely sharp but with the optics and the lenses, somehow the engineers have maintained a high-resolution image with some softness around the edges,” Montpellier says. “It all combines to be very smooth but very high resolution. I initially shied away from 4K because I felt it was too sharp, and yet here I am shooting 8K, the highest on the planet. They truly built this camera for the big screen.”

All told, using two DXL2s on set, he calculates capture at about 1Tb a day, racking up 60 hours over the 30 days of shooting, at 5.1 compression.

It wasn’t all blue sky and fields of gold with the odd red barn for visual interest. With light dropping off quickly and the need to show passage of time for the narrative to work, that low light capability was a major benefit. The crew maximized shooting during the “magic hour” to take advantage of the DXL2’s low light capabilities, he says.

“What amazed me is that the default is 1,600 ASA, but I could push that to 3,200 ASA and there was no noise,” he says. “With other cameras, which start around 1,280, just a small push gives you noise. We even shot with a Steadicam, some handheld and on a gimbal. The DXL2 has this plate which makes change-ups really fast and easy.”

That ease of setup and capabilities also allowed Montpellier to set up and capture a 2K proxy for use as dailies, meaning they didn’t have to work with the mas-

sive 8K files on set. “We literally used a five-year-old laptop for dailies,” he says.

Montpellier is, or was at the time of this writing, the first – and probably only – Canadian DP to drive the DXL2.

“I was lucky enough when they were designing it to be invited to meet with them, and they asked me, and other DPs, what did we want to see in a large-format camera like this,” he says. “It was fun to be a small part of the development process. The big concern we had was how much data this thing was going to produce. I think they found the sweet spot for the data and compression here.”

He’s become a fan of the camera and looks forward to working with it again.

“This camera really does something no other camera out there does,” he says. “The engineering genius is also in those Primo lenses. They’re extremely lightweight, as is the camera, for a 70 mm size. It really takes me back to when I was shooting film. Also, with 8K you’re sucking in so much data you start to become conscious of shooting unnecessarily, just as you did with film. So when you roll, you want to make sure your choices are all good.”

He’s also impressed with how the colour science and gamma have all been simplified. “There’s one gamma and one colour space you can choose,” he says. “Instead of spending your time with the technology – and too many choices isn’t always a good thing – your choices are streamlined.”

The RED Log 3G10 and RED WideGamutRBG gives a maximum range of colours, Montpellier says.

“This enables me to shoot as if I had film stock, so I calibrate my LUT – which is based on Fuji print stock – to what I want,” he says. “I can integrate the workflow into existing workflows I already have.”

The net result is simplifying capture, which is a good thing because operators and DPs spend less time as technicians and more time creating art.

Ian Harvey is a journalist who has been writing about digital disruption for 20 years.

He welcomes feedback and eagerly solicits subject matter ideas at ian@pitbullmedia.ca.

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Production Notes Calendar

ALTERED CARBON II (series)

DP Bernard Couture csc (alternating episodes)

to June 25

Surrey

ARROW VII (series)

DP Gordon Verheul csc (odd) & Neil Cervin csc (even)

to April 11

Vancouver

BOY, THE (feature)

Camera Operator Michael Soos

to March 8

Saanichton

CARDINAL: UNTIL THE NIGHT – CYCLE 4 (miniseries)

DP Steve Cosens csc Camera Operator Paula Tymchuk B Camera 1st Assistant Pierre Branconniere

to April 9

North Bay

DESIGNATED SURVIVOR III (series)

DP Mike McMurray csc (even episodes) B Operator/Steadicam Brent Robinson

to February 12

Mississauga

EXPANSE, THE VI (series)

Jeremy Benning csc & Ray Dumas csc

to February 4

Toronto

FLASH V (series)

DP Brenton Spencer csc & Alwyn J. Kumst csc (alternating episodes)

to April 19

Vancouver

GRAVITY PRODUCTIONS AKA TWILIGHT ZONE (series)

Craig Wrobleski csc

to March 8

North Vancouver

IMPULSE II (series)

DP David Greene csc, asc (alternating episodes)

to July 14

Toronto

IN BETWEEN (series)

DP Brian Whittred csc (alternating episodes)

to February 20

North Vancouver

INK (series)

DP François Dagenais csc (alternating episodes) Camera Operator Jim Van Dijk

to April 12

Richmond

MAGIC HOUR (series)

DP François Dagenais csc

to April 12

Richmond

MAGNESIUM (series)

DP George Lajtai csc

to July 16

Toronto

NURSES (series)

DP Thom Best csc 1st Assistant Ciaran Copelin

to May 14

Mississauga

REX (series)

DP Stephen Reizes csc

to May 12

St. John’s

RIVERDALE III (series)

DP Brendan Uegama csc

to March 30

Langley

SEE (series)

B Cam Operator/2nd Unit DP Ian Seabrook csc

to March 30

Delta, B.C.

SUPERGIRL IV (series)

DP Michael Storey csc (alternating episodes) B Camera Operator Justin Beattie

to May 15

Langley

SUPERNATURAL XIV (series)

DP Serge Ladouceur csc Camera Operator Brad Creasser

to March 26

Burnaby

TWILIGHT ZONE (series)

DP Craig Wrobleski csc

to March 8

North Vancouver

WEB OF DREAMS (miniseries)

DP Michael Balfry csc

to February 11

Burnaby

YOU BROUGHT THE SUNSHINE (TV movie)

DP Jason Tan csc

to February 19

Toronto

FEBRUARY 28-March 3, Kingston Canadian Film Festival, Kingston, ON, kingcanfilmfest.com MARCH 25-31, Canadian Screen Week, Toronto, academy.ca/ awards 16, IMAGO International Awards for Cinematography, Belgrade, imagoawards.org

@canadiancinematographer @csc_CDN

36 • Canadian Cinematographer - February

22-23, Italian Society of Cinematographers’ Micro Salon Rome, Rome, microsalonitalia.com 23, CSC Awards, Arcadian Court, Toronto, csc.ca APRIL 4-6, 3rd International Conference on Teaching & Researching Cinematography, Brussels, imago.org MAY 6, CSC Annual General Meeting, Technicolor Toronto

Canadian Cinematographer welcomes feedback, comments and questions about the magazine and its contents. Please send your letters to editor@csc.ca. Letters may be edited for clarity and space.

2018

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The making of a five-star documentary What is it about the Sony PXW-Z280 that makes it the ultimate all-in one Run and Gun style camcorder?

With its impressive list of specs, the Z280 could make a fascinating documentary on its own.

The story could unfold by demonstrating the ease with which the Z280 can capture one magnificent scene after another. Its highly sensitive three 4K ½-type CMOS sensors in combination with its electronic variable ND can produce either narrow 35mm-like depth of field or deeper depth of field like 16mm.

The 17x Parfocal Fujinon lens allows independent control of focus, zoom, and iris, making for better and faster adjustment. Cut to a scene to show how the advanced Face

Detection AF can keep a subject in pin-sharp focus even while moving, while its HLG and S-Log3 recording provide stunning HDR images to suit any workflow.

Finally, showcase how the PXW-Z280 offers revolutionary networking capabilities and live 4K production via 12Gbps over a standard SDI cable.

Fact is, the Z280 not only makes for a great documentary.

It’s also a camera every filmmaker would love to shoot a documentary with.

Maybe it’s time you stopped in to a Vistek showroom to acquire a Sony Z280 of your own.

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